Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is pushing back on critical comments Jeb Bush made about him, saying the former Florida governor's ideas about immigration are not realistic.
"I understand Jeb's passion for immigration. But insisting on a path forward on immigration that has zero chances of passing is not political courage. It's legislative malpractice," Rubio told Politico.
Last week, Bush called out Rubio for not taking more of a leadership role in the Congressional effort to write and pass immigration reform. Rubio's parents emigrated from Cuba in 1956.
"God forbid you actually took on something that was controversial and paid a political price," Bush told USA Today.
"That's the attitude in D.C. right now. Certainly Sen. Rubio is no different in that regard. Marco is a talented guy and he understands this issue really well, and maybe behind the scenes he's working hard. But at some point, his leadership would be really helpful."
Rubio told Politico Bush's comments are ill-informed.
"I want to get this problem solved. I'm not interested in impressing people who I believe are in some ways out of touch with the reality that Donald Trump is president and that the people whose votes we need to get this passed don't agree with Jeb's or any of this group of people's views on immigration," he said.
Lawmakers have until March 5, when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is officially phased out, to pass immigration legislation to protect people who have benefited from DACA. The Trump administration is also trying to make changes to immigration policy, including the construction of a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
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